California 134

California 134/Ventura Freeway uses a massive concrete arch bridge to cross the Arroyo Seco. This bridge, built in 1953 and expanded in 1971, emulates the design of the nearby U.S. 66/Colorado Boulevard bridge. The original 1953 bridge was built as a bypass of the Colorado Street Pioneer Bridge and was part of the Colorado Freeway. When the Ventura Freeway was extended east, it took over much of the original Colorado Freeway. Photo taken 12/10/05.

Routing

California 134 is the Ventura Freeway, connecting U.S. 101/Ventura & Hollywood Freeways and California 170/Hollywood Freeway in Los Angeles (San Fernando Valley) with Interstate 210/Foothill Freeway and California 710/Long Beach Freeway spur in Pasadena. The entire route is freeway and is a well-traveled east-west route between Pasadena and North Hollywood through Glendale.

History

The eastern segment of the Ventura Freeway (California 134) was built in stages through the 1960s and 1970s as listed in the Caltrans District 7 Bridge Log:

California 134 was originally signed along the Colorado Street Extension freeway (built 1957) from Interstate 5/Golden State Freeway east over the Los Angeles River onto Colorado Street east of San Fernando Road. The state highway then continued east along Colorado Street through Glendale and along Colorado Boulevard through Eagle Rock (city of Los Angeles) before ending at U.S. 6 and California 11/Figueroa Street. Once U.S. 66 and California 11 were relocated onto the Arroyo Seco Parkway (Pasadena Freeway), old U.S. 66 (Figueroa Street and Colorado Boulevard) was recommissioned as Alternate U.S. 66. Alternate U.S. 66/Colorado Boulevard continued east to the Linda Vista Avenue split, where California 11 (later California 159) turned north toward the Rose Bowl. Alternate U.S. 66/Colorado Boulevard then traveled east over the Arroyo Seco via the Colorado Street Pioneer Bridge and ended in Pasadena. After the great U.S. Highway Decommissioning of 1964, California 134 was designated east along this corridor to Pasadena. As the Ventura Freeway was extended east, California 134 was relocated onto the new freeway. Remnants of the original Colorado Freeway are the Colorado Street Extension from Interstate 5 Exit 142 and the Colorado Boulevard long offramp from California 134 Exit 11. Neither of these remnant freeways are currently in the state highway system.

Highway Guides

This view looks west toward the California 134 arch bridge over the Arroyo Seco. Photo taken 01/28/06.

The California 134 arch bridge and U.S. 66/Colorado Street Pioneer Bridge over the Arroyo Seco travel side-by-side west of downtown Pasadena. Photo taken 01/28/06.

This view of the California 134 arch bridge is seen by looking north from the Colorado Street Pioneer Bridge in Pasadena. Photo taken 01/28/06.

This freeway entrance shield assembly for California 134 east is posted on San Rafael Avenue in Pasadena near the Rose Bowl. The interchange between San Rafael Avenue and California 134 used to serve as the southern terminus of California 159 before that route was decommissioned. California 159 itself followed Linda Vista Avenue from Colorado Boulevard north to Interstate 210 and Foothill Boulevard (former California 118). Photo taken 01/28/06.

A side view of the angled freeway entrance shield assembly for California 134 east shows the onramp from San Rafael Avenue California 134 east. Photos taken 01/28/06.

Colorado Freeway east

This series of pictures profiles the historic Colorado Freeway segment between Colorado Boulevard and California 134 after the Figueroa Street interchange. Here, eastbound Colorado Boulevard (former California 134) approaches the left turn onto the eastbound Colorado Freeway. Photo taken 12/10/05.

A traffic signal controls the intersection between eastbound Colorado Boulevard (former California 134) and the left turn onto the eastbound Colorado Freeway. The freeway is signed as California 134 east to Pasadena. Photo taken 12/10/05.

Ramp metering, which limits the flow of traffic onto eastbound California 134, is in use along eastbound Colorado Freeway during commuting hours. The left lane is striped for use by carpools during hours of ramp metering. Photo taken 12/10/05.

Soon thereafter, Colorado Freeway passes over Figueroa Street on another old bridge with divoted curbing. A Route 134 bridge identification sign is posted here, implying maintenance of this bridge by Caltrans. Ahead, the Colorado Freeway has an onramp from Figueroa Street and then merges onto California 134 east. Photo taken 12/10/05.

Colorado Freeway west

The Colorado Freeway is the offramp from westbound California 134 to Colorado Boulevard. This was originally part of California 134 but was bypassed when the modern freeway was built. Upon exiting, the left lane connects to Colorado Boulevard west to Glendale, while the right lane connects to Figueroa Street south. To U.S. 66, use Figueroa Street south to Colorado Boulevard. Turn left (east) on Colorado Boulevard for U.S. 66 east to Pasadena via the Colorado Street Pioneer Bridge or continue straight ahead for U.S. 66/Figueroa Street southwest to downtown Los Angeles. When the Arroyo Seco Parkway was built, the U.S. 66 designation transferred onto the new freeway, and the old route along Colorado Boulevard and Figueroa Street was redesignated as Alternate U.S. 66 until 1964, when many U.S. routes were legislatively eliminated from California. Photos taken 12/10/05 and 09/29/07.

After the ramp to Figueroa Street, the long offramp to Colorado Boulevard passes over California 134/Ventura Freeway. Photo taken 12/10/05.

The long offramp to Colorado Boulevard looks like a typical four-lane freeway except for the lack of a raised center median. This brief, four-lane freeway ramp was part of the historic Colorado Freeway before the Ventura Freeway was extended to replace it. Photo taken 12/10/05.

A sharp turn west brings the short remnant of the Colorado Freeway toward its conclusion. Photo taken 12/10/05.

Old-style divoted curbing on the bridge over Monte Bonito Drive indicates the age of this bridge. The traffic signal ahead is with Colorado Boulevard, which is old California 134 before the Ventura Freeway was extended east. Photo taken 12/10/05.

An END FREEWAY yellow overhead sign (an old porcelain-enamel sign) is posted on westbound Colorado Freeway prior to the traffic signal with former California 134/Colorado Boulevard. Photo taken 12/10/05.